Monday, December 24, 2012

Pure Adventure with the National Geographic Magazine – 125th year


These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.
Misty Hollow Carvingwas launched in October 2008
Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.
“Crop Circles’ Web Site” where all my images are available.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pure Adventure with the National Geographic Magazine – 125th year
Our January 2013 edition of National Geographic Magazine(NGM) just arrived this week.  Wow! What an edition!  Check out http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/exploration

It is NGM’s 125th Anniversary Year and all this year they are going to be featuring ‘Exploration’ – from what I have read.

As I have been glancing over the articles the editor pointed to the fact that he once lived in a house that had a large backyard.  In that backyard he carried on his own exploration.

For 68 years I have been doing the same kind of thing. As far back as I can remember I have been an explorer.  I have been on a persistent search for whatever might not yet have been discovered.

As I read the articles I realized that I have within me a deep desire to see things that are new. And if it all possible discover something that now one else has ever seen.  I also thoroughly love just seeing things that are new to me.  That alone requires an explorer’s mind and heart.

When the exploration thing happened for me first was Elliott Street in Regina. We lived at 1422 Elliott Street… at the very end of the street with only one larger open area between us and the major shunting yard for the huge trains at that time. Trains were always coming and going – to and from somewhere.  That alone produced an allure for adventure to discover where they had come from and where they might go. “What an adventure that would be!” my young mind thought.  “Someday I will go to where they came from – I will explore my world!”

I was 12 to 13 when we moved from Elliott Street. By that time I knew every dangerous place in our neighborhood. I had crawled under large buildings on my stomach and had been in places that no person had every gone before – underneath a cold storage building more than 100 feet.  The building was built to cover almost a half a city block.  Shudder… now… if I had ever got stuck under that building on the nails sticking down of the snagging wire ends protruding down from the poured cement floors above my head – no one would have found me ever!

Thinking of it now – skunks also frequented that under building area. We could smell them.

Why do such a thing?  Well we were exploring – going places that no man had ever gone before.

Later in my life I had a similar, heart stopping feeling as I explored a deep cave in the Niagara Escarpment not far from Milton, Ontario.  We were down about 50 to 60 feet in the huge limestone escarpment. We were climbing through fissures and caves formed by the movement about of the large limestone boulders.  The one last drop required me to go in feet first… slipping on to my left side and laying backwards I went down further… then touching bottom I turned over to lay on my back.  I couldn’t sit up and couldn’t move left or right. I was entombed in that rock 60 or more feet down.  It was when I couldn’t move with the fright that overtook me.  My friend called down… “Are you okay?  You better be because I am not coming down there or moving another inch!”

Slowly I turned on my left side and slowly wiggled my way upwards… getting stuck a few times and now able to move. After breathing slowly and trying to relax my body moved upwards again.

Why do such a thing?  Well you see I am an explorer and I love going to places that no one has been before.

Sheesh – what a rush as I came out of the hole.  Then the thought occurred to me, ‘What if there had been another earthquake and the rocks shifted enough to close you in forever?’  I just shook my head – ‘never going to happen!’ I assured myself.

Oh boy. The thought came and went as I climbed into another cave.  You see I am an explorer at heart and can never stop.

That is why this NGM magazine has been such a major part of my life over all these years.

I looked at my first NGM before I could read.  I loved the photos and the adventures that all these men and women went on around the world.

Today I am stiff and much weaker than I was that day on the Escarpment. The guy that climbed with me is able to do that anymore.  But I can still explore in my mind.

Where should I go today?

~ Murray Lincoln ~
For your inspection
To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/ and http://mistyhollow-digitalimages.blogspot.ca/

No comments: